With the World Championship rapidly approaching it is easy to forget that as well as the main event at the iconic Crucible Theatre, there are also the qualifiers at the EISS to look forward to. Click below for the details..
When and Where?
The World Championship qualifiers take place at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield and start just two weeks from now. The first matches will be played on Wednesday 25th February with the final round coming to a conclusion on Wednesday 10th March.
Who will be playing?
As well as the 80 professionals on the main tour who are ranked outside of the elite top 16, there will also be a few preliminary rounds taking place over the first couple of days which will involve non-tour professionals who have chosen to retain their membership.
The final qualifiers in particular should be mouthwatering as the standard of players in the 17-32 bracket are probably as high as at any point previously. Players who will be involved include the likes of former World Champions Steve Davis, Mark Williams and Ken Doherty, as well as ranking event winners such as Matthew Stevens and Stephen Lee.
Schedule
To view the full schedule of matches please click here to visit the Sheffield Arena website.
Tickets
As stated on this page prices are as follows:
On Wednesday 25th February (Stage One) customers have entry to all three sessions with just one ticket priced at £5.
On Thursday 26th February customers will have entry to both the 10am and 4pm sessions with just one ticket priced at £5.
For subsequent Stage Two Matches (Fri 27th Feb – Wed 4th Mar) customers can purchase tickets for either daytime or evening sessions.
Tickets for the daytime session allows customers entry to both the 10am and 2.30pm sessions on that day with one ticket priced at £5.
Tickets for the evening session will also be priced at £5 but will only allow entry to the 7.30pm session.
For Stage Three Matches (Sun 8th Mar – Tue 10th Mar) customers have entry to both the 10am & 4pm sessions on that day with just one ticket priced at £7.50.
And to book:
You can book tickets for the World Snooker Championship 2009 either over the phone on 0114 256 5656 (9am-9pm Monday to Saturday), online through this website or in person at the Box Office from 9am – 6pm Monday to Saturday. Sunday opening times do vary, please call the box office before you travel to check the current opening hours.
When making a booking please use only the card holders details to create the order, tickets can be posted only to the cardholder’s address.
If you are purchasing concessionary tickets you may be asked to provide evidence that you are entitled to purchase tickets at the concessionary rate when your tickets are checked as you enter the venue – if you are unable to provide this evidence you will not be admitted into the venue and will be required to purchase tickets at full price.
We are unable to post tickets outside of the United Kingdom – anyone who’s credit card address is registered outside of the UK must collect their tickets from the venue and present the credit card in person in order to issued with the tickets they purchased.
All tickets are general admission (sit where you like once you enter the venue) and cannot be replaced if lost. Therefore all tickets must either be collected in person at the Sheffield Arena Box Office or will be subject to a £4.80 charge for Special Delivery.
Is it worth it?
Absolutely! From my experience of visiting the EISS for the UK Championship last December I can say that you are sure to see some top snooker as the players fight not only for a place in the World Championship, but for their professional status as they try to gain enough ranking points to make the top 64.
Also the prices represent fantastic value for money when you compare them to the prices at the Crucible for the final stages of the World Championship so if you have a few spare hours and live nearby, I would certainly recommend coming along.